Ixx Department of Plant-Breeding 



characters, and much time may be saved in selection work if the relation- 

 ship existing between different characters is known. 



Correlation studies have been made with wheat, oats, corn, peas, and 

 other plants. In each of these crops a considerable number of characters 

 have been noted. Most of these studies have dealt with the relation of 

 certain measurable characters to yield. This has been done in order to 

 determine what characters for the different crops may be used in further 

 breeding work, so that intelligent selection for high-yielding strains may 

 be conducted. Several papers on this general subject, which have been 

 prepared by members of this Department and by graduate students, either 

 have been pujjlished or soon will be. 



Studies on bud variation. — One of the principal lines of investigation 

 under this heading is that to determine the range or degree of variation 

 in potato families which have been developed from a single tuber and 

 constitute what we may call a pure-tuber line. Many selections of 

 variations in yield, shape of tuber, and the like, within these pure lines, 

 have been made in order to determine whether such visible variations are 

 inherited and whether advance in different directions may be effected 

 through selection. 



A knowledge of this subject is fundamental in the practice of the hill 

 selection of potatoes, as mentioned previously in this report, and definite 

 knowledge is very much desired. 



EXTENSION 



The special fund for the extension work of the Department of Plant- 

 Breeding became available October i, 191 1. At that time it was thought 

 advisable to conduct this extension activity along three lines : first, co- 

 operative and demonstrative work with individual farmers ; second, dis- 

 tribution of new varieties of timothy, oats, wheat, corn, and the like; 

 and third, educational activities, such as exhibits, lectures, instruction 

 in extension schools and short courses, special field meetings, and the like. 

 The results of the efforts along these special lines are given in detail below. 



Cooperative and demonstration plats 

 It is believed that the cooperative and demonstrative work with individ- 

 ual farmers is very important. Farmers of the State are becoming alive 

 to the value of well-bred seed. They are beginning to realize that " blood 

 tells " in agricultural crops as well as in agricultural animals, and a 

 large part of the correspondence of this Department consists of requests 

 for improved seed. Very few growers, however, have realized the possi- 

 bilities of their own individual work in this regard. Therefore it has 



